August 14, 2026
What causes Drug-Induced Photosensitivity? Certain medications can cause sensitivity to the sun, known as photosensitivity, through two primary biological processes called phototoxicity (a chemically-induced reaction that may depend on the dose) and photoallergy (an immune-mediated reaction that is not related to dose). The most effective way to address this issue is adequate sunlight protection. Patients…
July 7, 2026
Constipation is pretty common in older adults, ranging from 24 to 50 percent. Up to 20 percent of community-dwelling older adults and 74 percent of nursing home residents use laxatives on a daily basis. Age, immobility, comorbid conditions, polypharmacy, eating less and inadequate hydration are all risk factors for constipation. Chronic constipation is defined as…
June 24, 2026
Crushing pills can improve ease of administration, but some shouldn’t be crushed. Crushing extended release meds can result in administration of a large dose all at once. Crushing delayed-release meds can alter the mechanism designed to protect the drug from gastric acids or prevent gastric mucosal irritation. Crushing sublingual or buccal tabs can alter effectiveness….
June 22, 2026
Managing In-Use Medication Expirations To ensure product stability, sterility and efficacy, many therapeutic products have a shortened expiration date when opened, as specified by the manufacturer. The following list(s) includes medications commonly used in community care settings where labeling indicates a shortened expiration date is required once in use. This list is not all-inclusive, consult…
June 22, 2026
From the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) From CMS: §483.45(g) Labeling of Drugs and Biologicals and §483.45(h) Storage of Drugs and Biologicals: “ensure that all drugs and biologicals used in the facility are labeled in accordance with professional standards, including expiration dates.” It is good standard practice to date an ophthalmic (eye) medication…
May 12, 2026
About PALTmed’s Clinical Practice Guideline onFalls and Fall Prevention Falls are ever-present in the post-acute and long-term care continuum, and PALTmed’s newly revised Clinical Practice Guideline on Falls and Fall Prevention in the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Setting provides clinicians and community leaders with a practical, evidence-informed, and implementable resource tailored to the specific challenges…
April 27, 2026
Pharmacogenomic Testing in LTC Facilities What is Pharmacogenomic (PGx) testing and how can it benefit LTC communities? PGx is a rapidly evolving science focused on how an individual’s genes may affect his or her response to medications. While many patients may metabolize a medication appropriately, others may metabolize it too quickly, too slowly, or not…
April 9, 2026
Parkinson’s Disease Overview Parkinson disease (PD) is an adult-onset progressive neurodegenerative disorder, first described as “Shaking palsy” over 200 years ago by James Parkinson. While traditionally considered a motor system disorder based on the hallmark features of tremor, rigidity, and bradykinesia, PD is now recognized to be a complex disorder involving a wide range of…
March 10, 2026
CMS’ Hybrid Long-Stay Antipsychotic Measure is Live In response to long-standing concerns from the Office of Inspector General (OIG) and other stakeholders about the unnecessary use of antipsychotic medications and potential for underreporting via the MDS dataset, CMS has revised (in effect January 1, 2026) how it calculates the long-stay antipsychotic use quality measure for…
November 17, 2025
Antibiotic Offending Medication Recommendation Mechanism All quinolones(Ciprofloxacin,Levofloxacin,Moxifloxacin) – Iron and Calciumpreparations (Includingmultivitamins thatcontain iron and/orcalcium, dairy products) If the combination cannot be avoided, administration of Quinolones should occur at least 2 hours before or 6 hours after Iron/Calcium. Note: Moxifloxacin does not interact with Calcium like the other Quinolones and no adjustments are recommended. The…
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